I washed it on warm and dried it on low and it came out perfect. Then I got sewing.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow. The diagrams are super helpful and the writing is clear. The only thing I would have appreciated is a note about which sleeve is the left and which is the right. I didn't know that the sleeve backs typically have two notches and that's how you can tell. Google helped me through that one ... but not after I sewed the sleeve in wrong first. :)

The really awesome part about the pattern is the section about how to sew knits. There's a page with tips and techniques about which stitches work best for those of us who don't have sergers.

I experimented on my fabric with all the options and ended up using a twin sewing needle. The zig-zag on the back gave my stitches the perfect amount of stretch. I'd never even heard of that method before, but it worked SO WELL.

The construction is pretty straight-forward. First you essentially make a vest:

Then add sleeves and a hood! I don't have a full-length mirror at home, so sorry about the work bathroom pics.

THUMBHOLES!!!!!!!

Anyway, I'd totally make this pattern again, and probably will soon. I'd like to alter the hood/neckline a bit so instead of ending at the collarbone it would zip up all the way to my chin. Most of my hoodies from Patagonia or whatever are like that, and I like to have the option to hide like a turtle if needed. :)

Just as a heads up to anyone who uses this yarn: It's totally great ... but ...

I almost had a panic attack when I washed the finished cowl. I got done knitting at the *ahem* bar after work, and then took it home to block it. I soaked it in Eucalan wash. I LOVE washing finished knits in this. They turn out incredibly soft, and I've never had any issues. I also like that you don't need to rise, because that means less stress on the fibers.

Anyway, I soaked the cowl for about 30 minutes, and the water in my sink was dark green. PANIC No. 1.

Then I laid it out on the table to block. And the yarn felt just awful. It's a DK weight, which I use a lot, so I'm familiar with how it acts after being soaked. But this was a nightmare. Stringy. No body. Hard to lay straight. Panic No. 2.

I love how soaking and blocking normally eases any awkward stitches in my work. But this looked like a trainwreck.

So I poured a bit of whiskey, took a drink, did some swearing and just trusted that it'd all be #@%*ing better in the morning.

But it wasn't. It still looked awful. And it wasn't even close to dry. (Panic No. 3) I needed to mail it by 2 p.m., so I committed a major knitting sin and pulled out the blow dryer. I started with no heat, then worked up to the low heat setting.

MAGIC!

Once it got close to dry, it looked AMAZING. Totally awesome. Soft and squishy with even stitches! Sooo good. Exactly what I wanted.

So if you ever use Mountain Colors Twizzle yarn, don't panic right after you block it. It'll work out in the end.

Friday, September 27, 2013

The fabric is Stof from Denmark, bought at my local Bernina store. The solid is an Essex linen, probably natural? I can't remember.

This is the first bag I've sewn for myself, and I'm so glad I waited for this pattern.

I sometimes get frustrated by non-pratical items (tiny in size, no zippers, not washable), but this bag is perfect. It can carry an assload of stuff (my brother calls it "The Mary Poppins Bag," but doesn't look huge. And I'm only 5'4, so it's easy for a bag to dominate me. The exterior pocket makes organization easy, and the inner elastic pockets are perfect for fitting things like flip-flops, etc.

It also has interfacing, which makes the finished bag have such nice structure. The pattern was easy to understand, and I didn't have any "WTF is going on here?" moments during construction.

This little outtake. Choooowder. <3

The only things I changed were: I fully lined the inner elastic pocket and exterior pocket instead of just facing it. And I added a zipper pocket inside. I have a weird thing for zipper pockets ... I need to keep all my shit secure in something zipped, or else I'm constantly panicked.

And that pocket held all my critical cash on an amazing trip I took with my little brother to Glacier.

At this point, the bag had been soaked, shoved and crammed, so it's a bit wrinkled. But still awesome.

:::

It was exactly the kind of trip you want to have with your brother when he's 27 and you're 29. You have enough cash to crash at a hotel room if you get fall behind on your already-loose schedule, but you're young enough to camp at the hilarious KOA instead.

You're grown up enough to try to actually sleep at night, but young enough to know sometimes it's way better to stay up at watch Skyfall on your iPhone until 6 a.m.

Adjust the sugar to your preferred sweetness level and dot the filling with about 2 tablespoons of diced butter once you pour it into the crust.

This pie had an all-butter crust. I think all-butter is the way to go. For sure it takes more time, but it pays off. Here are a few tips that make a big difference.

-- Keep your butter cold. Like REALLY cold. Like after you chop it into cubes, stick it back in the freezer for 15 minutes to get it cold again.
-- Use a pastry blender. It's not that much extra work, and really it's less work if you're like me and don't own a dishwasher to clean the 1,864 parts that are needed to make the average food processor run.
-- After you get things to dough state (and DON'T OVER-MIX!), gently push the dough into two balls (if you're making a top and bottom crust) and wrap it in plastic wrap. Flatten by pressing down as much as you can. It'll make rolling out easier after the dough chills.

Well ... that's all I got.

And this. This is awesome. I don't eat meat. A few weeks ago the dogs got into a pile of mail and chewed one thing in particular.